Recent Tasting Notes

I was reaching into my tea cupboard to get my usual morning tea when I accidentally knocked out a small sample packet. I was surprised to see that it was a chai blend from our very own LiberTeas. I honestly have no memory of getting this tea so it must have come my way as part of a swap or Traveling Teabox.

I’ve been looking for a good black tea chai but I can never seen to find one that’s just right. I know it’s largely a matter of personal tastes but I find that most chais have too much of one spice or flavouring and it ends up dominating the tea. This tea on the other hand is very well balanced with each of the various spices getting their say. It’s a surprisingly versatile tea – light enough to to be drunk plain but strong enough that it holds up well to the addition of some milk and honey.

This really is a masterpiece of a tea. I hope that Liberteas might consider remaking this tea or something like it in the near future – perhaps when she takes over 52Teas from Frank. I could see this being a winner.

Sipdown no. 60 for the year 2014. Hey, look what I found in my work stash! A little bag of this! I must have got it as a sample when I ordered from LiberTEAS way back when. A nice little surprise to find it again.

Of course, it is ancient. I can’t believe I didn’t drink it when I first got it. I meant to.

I smelled mostly peach in the little bag, and I also taste mostly peach after steeping. I’m also getting the sort of woodsy green rooibos flavor and a bit of tartness that I think must be the orange peel.

It’s a nice, light fruit flavor without too much rooibosiness. I think the fact that it’s green rooibos probably accounts for how well the light flavor comes through without any dustiness or hamster cage that I sometimes get from red rooibos.

I can only imagine how nice this would have been if I’d had it when I first bought it. Rating based on an extrapolation of how it tastes now (nice despite its age) to what it likely would have tasted like if it was still fresh.

Yeah, I was going to give it a 78 but then I thought, you know, it isn’t really fair because I know this would taste better if it was fresh. The little bag it was in, for example, had a bit of an old paper scent, which I had to factor out of the aroma and (I figured) the taste as well.

I sort of “resurrected” this blend for a friend of mine, her birthday is this weekend, and she has mentioned several times to me that she wished I still made Candy Shoppe. It’s basically a fruit and herbal blend with honeybush that’s been flavored with caramel and vanilla.

This is pretty close to the way I remember it. Sweet and caramel-y with notes of vanilla cream. Slightly fruity. Hints of honey. Really good, even if I do say so myself.

Firstly a Big Thank-You to LiberTEAS for giving me this sample, and an apology for not trying it before today!

I just found this at the bottom of a box filled with various pouches and other samples, and despite being a Tuesday morning I decided what I really wanted was a nice calming cup of tea ..

And that’s exactly what this is .. It’s such a pretty mix of dried flowers, both looking and smelling like a sweet potpourri .. I recognized the Chamomile, Lavender, and Hop, but wasn’t sure about the rest until I read it’s description here on Steepster ..

I’m actually not a fan of Chamomile and was a little concerned that it would take over the brew, however this is mixed in such a skilled way that it’s not dominated by any one flavour .. I’m truly loving this blend, and yet saddened that she is no longer selling, because I honestly would like to keep this in my cupboard ..

I guess I’ll have to try and create something myself as I grow all of these ingredients except the Hibiscus & Honeybush .. So if anyone has ideas on other mixes to include, or similar blends to try, please do share ..

For now I’m going to try re-steeping what’s in my pot as my cup’s run dry and I’m really loving this tea!

edited to add Second steep has a lot more ‘apple’ like notes which may be due to the Chamomile, or possible the Honeybush/Hibiscus? It’s YUM :Dhttp://i51.tinypic.com/2nqywqf.jpg

Preparation

I almost feel bad drinking this tea down, its certainly a guilty pleasure, being as I understand it a tea thats slowwwwly going extinct, I might also feel a little bad for shunning the name and drinking it right before bed, probably not the best move as its full of caffeine.

On to the tea though, its quite simply put one of the best black teas I ever had, I might of under steeped it just a little but it still came out strong and sweet, with just a little honey it was amazing, the rose petal blooming as they steeped was excellent, I was a little apprehensive about it being to…. flowery but the cinnamon dominates any inkling of that, the cinnamon mixed with the vanilla (Which I didn’t get much of I think but still…) gives the tea a nice warm curled up in bed taste, far to relaxing to drink in the morning to be honest if I had this in bed I’d probably die of respiratory depression.

Right before bed though, seems to be a fantastic idea, as I write this and finish off the mug caffeine or not I just wanna curl up in bed for a good 8-12 hours. Its too bad this tea will never be blended again, I suppose like in nature, the best things go extinct, or at least the most delicious.

Preparation

I’m surprised at how strong this tea is. It’s not weak and watery like many flavored teas tend to be. I’m guessing part of the magic of this tea is due to the assam in the blend. This is a proper black tea that can stand up to lots of milk and sweetener. The result is an awesome, almost coffee-ish drink with great caramel flavor. I’m sad that I can’t get more of this, because I would drink it regularly. Thank you Rachel for the sample! Prepared with almond milk and stevia.

LiberTEAS was my secret santa for Steepster’s Secret Santa exchange this year, so I received the most amazing present willed with all sorts of tea samples and blends! I just wish that I could stay home from work for a few weeks and lock myself in my bedroom with my kettle; not coming out until I’ve tried them all.

I started with this one! I this morning was a flavoured black morning and with a title like ‘Breakfast in Bed’ is was practically irresistible. And let me tell you something, dear readers, the tea is as irresistible as the name!

I’ve never had a rose tea quite like this before. The smell of the tea is mostly vanilla and the rose flavour is so delicate. I’m always a bit afraid that flower teas’ll end up tasting like I’m drinking hot perfume (with milk) but this was amazing! The rose and vanilla tastes completely compliment each other and the cinnamon is like a little cherry on top to complete the trifecta of awesomeness.

I am finishing up my sample of this today and it is definitely going to be missed. I didn’t leave enough of my sample for a full pot today so I supplemented it with a small scoop of Emperor’s Red. Luckily the chai is still shining through and is really complementing the chocolaty, tanginess of Emperor’s Red.

Hmm…this combo is working so well I might just do an entire day of adding another pinch of different teas into my infuser….

I have the pleasure of trying this thanks to Jessica! Wow, LiberTEAS knows how to do chai. I made this using the stovetop method and it is perfect. Every spice in harmony, smooth black tea, and rich creamy tea. I am only sad that I don’t have any more of this for another day.

This was probably the most exciting sample out of my SororiTEA Sisters prize package – I hadn’t gotten to try any of LiberTEAS’ creations before! And it’s lovely. Smells like a cinnamon roll, but the light pastry kind, not the heavy buttery side. I wouldn’t have guessed that rose, cinnamon, and vanilla would go so well together but they really do.

Preparation

Only have a few cups of this left in the bottom of the purple tin. Maybe one big, strong cup for work. Sad. I’m going to have to go on a hunt for a new caramel tea…

Anyway, I made a strong cup of this for the to-go cup today. Sweetened it a little and accompanied it with a harsh playlist and my morning commute to midtown. I still have so much tea to get through…

EDIT: Made the rest the next morning. Turns out I didn’t have quite enough, so I had to mix in some plain assam I have lying around. The caramel flavor was still quite strong and lovely. Sad to see it go.

Sorry, I do this. I disappear for months at a time, then return. And hopefully I will be returning to Steepster with full force. Mainly, I’ve been gone since I haven’t purchased many new teas. I’ve been working on my collection, trying to get through what I have before I move along. Also, the heat here in Atlanta has been devastating, which leads me away from tea a bit, except for in iced form. Which I haven’t had time to brew in batches.

Anyway, this tea was delicious as always. I’m beginning to run low, but I am prepared to let it go. I brewed it double-strong after four days of partying hard at Dragon*Con, and flopped down onto the couch with the boys for the episode of Doctor Who I missed. It was slightly bitter, but I love bitterness, especially paired with creaminess. It was thoroughly enjoyed and will be again.

After drinking until 2 with the Decatur kids at Republic, I needed something both refreshing and caffeinated to go with me on the ride to midtown the next morning. This was perfect. It was like an iced coffee without the sharp aftertaste or the wicked case of the shakes.

Preparation

Had another cup iced first thing this morning. I am really enjoying it as a cold tea. It’s been my staple for the past week or so, whenever I wanted something to drink, that’s what I’d make. I just haven’t logged it because that could get seriously redundant. So this note should count for at least 4 or 5 glasses.

I have since perfected my single-glass sweet tea ratio of two and a half teaspoons black tea, two teaspoons of sugar, about half a glass of ice, steeped for five and a half minutes. Comes out perfect every time.

I’ve been on an iced tea kick since the weather has turned warm, and last night I got curious about this. I’ve never had caramel tea cold before, so I went for it. It’s actually a lot more refreshing than I expected! It’s delicious iced! The temperature reduces the caramel flavor a little, but in a pleasant way that keeps it from being too much like an icy dessert. Will definitely do this again.

Also, I should note that I made a tall mug of this for work the other day as well. I used one teaspoon Sweet Caramel O’ Mine, and one teaspoon of India Vanilla Tea from the farmer’s market. The vanilla was still a bit overwhelming, so next time I’ll use less of it. I’ve also decided that caramel + vanilla is one of the better things in life.

Preparation

I got the last tin ever from LiberTEAS in the mail yesterday! Eeee, thank you!!

Another last affair with this tea before it becomes extinct. I made two almost-too-strong mugs of it last night; one for me and one for my brother. We sweetened it with plain sugar, but now I’m considering what honey would be like mixed in. Hmmm.

And then this morning, I took a cup of it with me to work. Felt nice sipping it in my car, surrounded by skyscrapers on a cold, damp day.

Last cup of my sample. I let it steep a little longer to bring out the caramel flavor, which worked. I’m savoring it now before I have to leave for work. I see that LiberTeas has a few more tins of it up for sale, and while I would love to buy one, I’m going to a convention next week and need every dollar I can get. If it’s still there when I get back, though, it will be mine!